I produce Swedish style, egg tempera folk art paintings. In Sweden this is known as a ‘Bonad’ -a decorative wall hanging (plural is Bonader).

This painting ‘the Miner and the Horse II’ came about because while researching mining on the internet before an exhibition in the Museum of Cannock Chase (a former miners’ training school), I kept seeing photographs of battle scenes that reminded me of the medieval battles painted by Paolo Uccello in 1432

The Battle of San Romano by Paolo Uccello 1432

I saw on the internet a modern medieval battle, I wanted to record that in the way these events used to be recorded. I grind pigments with a little water, then mix with egg yolk to produce a beautiful paint that works so well on gesso- rabbit skin glue and chalk.

I wanted this painting to look beautiful and therefore shock the view on closer inspection. Surely we can’t still be having such battles?

The Miner and the Horse I is below and depicts the pit pony and his relationship with the miner.